Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Finding Needles In A Haystack: A Case Study Of Text Mining The Corpus Of 15 Academic Journals, Eric A. Kowalik, Tara Baillargeon, Jennifer M. Cook

Eric A. Kowalik

Impact Of Declining Proposal Success Rates On Scientific Productivity, Ted Von Hippel, Priscilla Cushman, Todd Hoeksema, Chryssa Kouveliotou, James Lowenthal, Bradley Peterson, Keivan G. Stassun,

Ted von Hippel

Over the last decade proposal success rates in the fundamental sciences have dropped significantly. Astronomy and related fields funded by NASA and NSF are no exception. Data across agencies show that this is not principally the result of a decline in proposal merit (the proportion of proposals receiving high rankings is largely unchanged), nor of a shift in proposer demographics (seniority, gender, and institutional affiliation have all remained unchanged), nor of an increase (beyond inflation) in the average requested funding per proposal, nor of an increase in the number of proposals per investigator in any one year. Rather, the statistics …

Improving Information Literacy Through Wikipedia Editing In The Chemistry Classroom: Lessons Learned, Ye Li, Charity Flener Lovitt, Anne J. Mcneil, Kristen S. Shuyler

Kristen S. Shuyler

Assignments in which students edit Wikipedia may help students learn about the complexities of information creation and production, while engaging them in researching and writing about topics related to class content. This chapter presents two case studies that illustrate how Wikipedia-based activities can be designed to achieve both chemistry and information literacy learning outcomes. In both examples, faculty partnered with a librarian to implement the Wikipedia editing assignments. Through these experiences, those involved learned about Wikipedia and its community, and identified promising practices for project requirements based on formal and informal assessment and observations. Reflections are offered on the value …

Teaching Climate Change Concepts And The Nature Of Science: A Library Activity To Identify Sources Of Climate Change Misconceptions, Charity Flener Lovitt, Kristen S. Shuyler

Kristen S. Shuyler

A library activity was developed in which students found information about climate science misconceptions from popular and scientific literatures. As part of the activity, students developed a rubric to evaluate the credibility and type of literature sources they found. The activity prepared students to produce an annotated bibliography of articles, which they then used to create a training document about a climate science misconception for staff at a local science center. Evaluation of annotated bibliographies showed that students were able to distinguish between popular and scholarly literature but struggled to identify primary and secondary sources within the scholarly literature. In …

In The Beginning... A Legacy Of Computing At Marshall University, Jack L. Dickinson, Arnold R. Miller Ed.E

Arnold R. Miller

This book provides a brief history of the early computing technology at Marshall University, Huntington, W.Va., in the forty years: 1959-1999. This was before the move to Intel and Windows based servers. After installation of an IBM Accounting Machine in 1959, which arguably does not fit the modern definition of a computer, the first true computer arrived in 1963 and was installed in a room below the Registrar’s office. For the next twenty years several departments ordered their own midrange standalone systems to fit their individual departmental requirements. These represented different platforms from different vendors, and were not connected to …

Information Literacy For Chemistry In The Real World, Alyssa H. Valcourt

Alyssa H. Valcourt

No abstract provided.

Learning To Love Data (Week): Creating Data Services Awareness On Campus, Katie M. Wissel, Lisa Deluca

Kathryn Wissel, MBA, MI

Libraries And Second Life: Getting Started In Virtual Reality, Susan Acampora

Susan Acampora

No abstract provided.

An Old Tool With Enduring Value: Using Excel To Prepare Data For Analysis, Gregory A. Smith

Gregory A. Smith

Microsoft Excel was first released on the Windows platform 30 years ago and has since become widely used. Although new tools for manipulating, analyzing, and visualizing data are constantly emerging, Excel remains a potent tool—and not just because of newer features. Simple functions such as TRIM, MID, SUBSTITUTE, FIND, ROUNDDOWN, and VLOOKUP can be used to manipulate data sets in powerful ways. This workshop applies selected functions to realistic library data sets. Demonstrations include: deriving time-series categories from date and time stamps pre-coding survey comments based on keywords dealing with messy data points such as call numbers and publisher names …

Evidence-Based-Review-Of-Academic-Web-Search-Engines-Preprint.Pdf, Jody C. Fagan 5609471

Jody C Fagan

Ispy: Threats To Individual And Institutional Privacy In The Digital World, Lori Andrews

Lori B. Andrews

Shining A Light On A University Special Collection With Data Visualization, Lisa Deluca, Katie M. Wissel

Kathryn Wissel, MBA, MI

Building Data And Information Literacy In The Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum, Yasmeen Shorish, Barbara A. Reisner

Yasmeen Shorish

The Literature and Seminar sequence at James Madison University has been used to develop the chemistry information literacy skills of chemistry majors for over four decades. These courses have been continually updated to emphasize information literacy skills for the twenty-first century. This chapter describes the methods that have been developed to improve chemical, data and general information literacy at a large, public, primarily undergraduate institution. The focus of the first semester course, described in this chapter, is on skill building rather than teaching specific resources. It is a model of integration and collaboration between chemistry faculty and chemistry librarians. Changes …

The Changing Values Of Digital Legacies: E-Books And The Challenges Of Data Mobility And The Perceived Value Of Books, Derani Nathasha Dissanayake, David M. Cook

Dr. David M Cook

Two Roads, One Destination: A Journey Of Discovery, Karen Joc, Peta J. Hopkins, Jessie Donaghey, Wendy Abbott

Peta Hopkins

The adoption of resource discovery platforms has been a growing trend in libraries. However, few libraries have reported on the transition from one discovery layer to another, and only a few institutions have discussed two discovery layers available in the same institution at the same time. Bond University Library recently implemented Alma as its library management system, and with this change a new discovery platform, Primo, was implemented to supersede the existing Summon platform. This paper presents the results of a usability study undertaken at Bond University Library in the move from one discovery layer to another.

Choosing A Repository Platform: Open Source Vs. Hosted Solutions, Hillary Corbett, Jimmy Ghaphery, Lauren Work, Sam Byrd

Hillary Corbett

Discusses selection of a locally hosted, open-source system (DSpace/Fedora) versus a cloud-hosted, proprietary system (Digital Commons), it is important to note that these examples are merely illustrative. Libraries have a range of choices for repository software that includes open source and proprietary in any number of support environments, and exemplary repositories are flourishing on a variety of systems, both open source and proprietary. This chapter focuses on the differences between proprietary and open-source solutions, but also demonstrates how and why libraries choose a repository system. In writing about this process, we realized that it was important to acknowledge that there …

Choosing A Repository Platform: Open Source Vs. Hosted Solutions, Hillary Corbett, Jimmy Ghaphery, Lauren Work, Sam Byrd

Hillary Corbett

Discusses selection of a locally hosted, open-source system (DSpace/Fedora) versus a cloud-hosted, proprietary system (Digital Commons), it is important to note that these examples are merely illustrative. Libraries have a range of choices for repository software that includes open source and proprietary in any number of support environments, and exemplary repositories are flourishing on a variety of systems, both open source and proprietary. This chapter focuses on the differences between proprietary and open-source solutions, but also demonstrates how and why libraries choose a repository system. In writing about this process, we realized that it was important to acknowledge that there …

Two Roads, One Destination: A Journey Of Discovery, Karen Joc, Peta J. Hopkins, Jessie Donaghey, Wendy Abbott

Karen Joc

The adoption of resource discovery platforms has been a growing trend in libraries. However, few libraries have reported on the transition from one discovery layer to another, and only a few institutions have discussed two discovery layers available in the same institution at the same time. Bond University Library recently implemented Alma as its library management system, and with this change a new discovery platform, Primo, was implemented to supersede the existing Summon platform. This paper presents the results of a usability study undertaken at Bond University Library in the move from one discovery layer to another.

Two Roads, One Destination: A Journey Of Discovery, Karen Joc, Peta J. Hopkins, Jessie Donaghey, Wendy Abbott

Wendy Abbott

The adoption of resource discovery platforms has been a growing trend in libraries. However, few libraries have reported on the transition from one discovery layer to another, and only a few institutions have discussed two discovery layers available in the same institution at the same time. Bond University Library recently implemented Alma as its library management system, and with this change a new discovery platform, Primo, was implemented to supersede the existing Summon platform. This paper presents the results of a usability study undertaken at Bond University Library in the move from one discovery layer to another.

Two Roads, One Destination: A Journey Of Discovery, Karen Joc, Peta J. Hopkins, Jessie Donaghey, Wendy Abbott

Wendy Abbott

The adoption of resource discovery platforms has been a growing trend in libraries. However, few libraries have reported on the transition from one discovery layer to another, and only a few institutions have discussed two discovery layers available in the same institution at the same time. Bond University Library recently implemented Alma as its library management system, and with this change a new discovery platform, Primo, was implemented to supersede the existing Summon platform. This paper presents the results of a usability study undertaken at Bond University Library in the move from one discovery layer to another.

Supplemental Materials For Building Data And Information Literacy In The Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum, Yasmeen Shorish, Barbara A. Reisner

Yasmeen Shorish

Course syllabus from Chem 481, Fall 2015, to supplement the chapter "Building Data and Information Literacy in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum" in the monograph Integrating Library and Information Literacy Into Chemistry Curricula - ACS Symposium Series, ACS Publications.

Archive - A Data Management Program, James H. Devilbiss, C. Steven Whisnant, Yasmeen Shorish

Yasmeen Shorish

To meet funding agency requirements, a portable data management solution is presented for small research groups. The database created is simple, searchable, robust, and can reside across multiple hard drives. Employing a standard metadata schema for all data, the database ensures a high level of standardization, findability, and organization. The software is written in Perl, runs on UNIX, and presents a web-based user interface. It uses a fast, portable log-in scheme, making it easy to export to other locations. As research continues to move towards more open data sharing and reproducibility, this database solution is agile enough to accommodate external …

Effect Of Retiring Custom Web Applications On Business And Information Technology Alignment, Shubhashree Thekahally

Shubhashree Thekahally 7340504

Web applications provide the information technology (IT) implementation of business and align IT with business. Retirement of IT applications should ensure stability of business and IT alignment. The current study investigated the alignment gaps created between business and IT resulting from retiring IT software applications. The purpose of this study was to identify IT integration points with business and provide a process-based solution that sustained IT alignment with business after retiring IT applications. The theoretical framework strategic alignment model aided in identifying 3 IT domains as the IT integration points with business: enterprise architecture, configuration management database, and service-level agreement. …

Digital Wayfinding: A User Study, M Ryan Hess

M Ryan Hess

The DePaul University Richardson Library conducted a study of an interactive, touch-based wayfinding screen in order to determine 1) what specific content needs users desire in digital wayfinding services and 2) are user content needs so broad, a more full-feature experience with access to all library web content would be preferred. The three-phase study included analysis of click analytics data, observations of user interactions and questionnaires targeting user experiences and expectations. The study builds on research at other libraries around point-of-need wayfinding signage and usability of digital information. Phase 1 involved capturing anonymous click analytics of user interactions, over a …

Information Technology And Computer Science Programs: How Do We Relate?, Bonnie K. Mackellar, Gregory Hislop, Mihaela C. Sabin, Amber Settle

Amber Settle

A Computer Science Linked-Courses Learning Community, Amber Settle, John Lalor, Theresa Steinbach

Amber Settle

Data In The Sciences At Colby College, A Case Study, Susan Westerberg Cole

Susan Westerberg Cole

A sabbatical project looked at the research data needs of science faculty at a small liberal arts college in order to determine potential library support services. I concluded that support needs to come from multiple campus units. This study highlighted the value of personal interviews to discover actual needs that had been unanticipated.

Assessing Perceived Usability Of The Data Curation Profiles Toolkit Using The Technology Acceptance Model, Tao Zhang, Lisa Zilinski, D Scott Brandt, Jake Carlson

Lisa Zilinski

Presentation slides; The DCPT has been widely adopted and applied in various contexts but its usability as a tool has not been formally assessed. To address this need, we have conducted a survey of users of the DCPT. The survey included quantitative measures of potential influencing factors of using the DCPT and its perceived usability (its usefulness as a tool and its ease of use). Open-ended questions about users’ experiences with the DCPT were also included to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the tool, as well as areas that could be improved. Factor analysis of the quantitative results …

The Symbiotic Relationship Between Information Retrieval And Informetrics, Dietmar Wolfram

Dietmar Wolfram

Informetrics and information retrieval (IR) represent fundamental areas of study within information science. Historically, researchers have not fully capitalized on the potential research synergies that exist between these two areas. Data sources used in traditional informetrics studies have their analogues in IR, with similar types of empirical regularities found in IR system content and use. Methods for data collection and analysis used in informetrics can help to inform IR system development and evaluation. Areas of application have included automatic indexing, index term weighting and understanding user query and session patterns through the quantitative analysis of user transaction logs. Similarly, developments …

Alcts Crs Holdings Information Forum, 3-4 P.M. January 31, 2015, Connie Foster

Connie Foster

Cecilia Genereux (data management & access/metadata & intellectual access, University of Minnesota Libraries) introduced the session by confessing to a pun intended for her presentation: Alma: To Have and to Hold. The levity quickly shifted into some very detailed analysis of the way the Ex Libris Alma system handled specific types of serials during a migration from Aleph. The University of Minnesota started with Aleph (Ex Libris) in 2002 and moved to Alma on December 26, 2013. Frances McNamara (director, Integrated Library Systems and Administrative and Desktop Systems at University of Chicago), discussed migrating serials data from Horizon to Kulai …